Timetrees: a branching-time structure for modeling activity and state in the human-computer interface

The design and construction of interactive systems with high usability requires a user-centered approach to system development. In order to support such an approach, it is necessary to provide tools and representations reflecting a behavioral view of the interface—a view centered on user activities and the system activities and states perceived by the user. While behavioral representations exist, there is no behavioral model of interaction between a user and a system. Such a model is necessary for formalization and extension of existing behavioral representations. This dissertation presents a model of interactive behavior based on the timetree, a novel tree-based structure representing tasks, user actions, system activity, and system and interface state, all within a framework of branching sequential timelines. The model supports formal definitions, operations and abstraction techniques. Three application areas—a formal definition of an existing behavioral notation, connection between a behavioral representation and a formal model of input devices, and techniques for analysis of behavioral specifications—provide examples of the model's utility.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Computer Science

Department dc:contributor.department

Computer Science

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1995

Author dc:creator

• Brandenburg, Jeffrey Lynn

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Hartson, H. Rex

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Hix, Deborah S.
• Arthur, James D.
• Bloss, Adrienne G.
• Hagedorn, George A.

• user action notation
• task analysis
• formal models
• human-computer interaction
• temporal logic
• design representations

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-06062008-164012

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/38255